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Best Old School Anime

Old school anime continues to boast outstanding quality both in animation and story.

By Peter DillPublished 7 years ago 7 min read
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If you’ve been watching both old school anime and recent anime series, you know that a lot has changed in the medium. Compared to the series of the late 20th century, it cannot be denied that the animation quality has improved overall. Kyoto Animation and Shaft became widely popular for their distinct and stylish adaptations of manga and light novels such as Haruhi Suzumiya, Hibike! Euphonium, and the Monogatari Series. It’s definitely difficult to see a series like Ghost in the Shell today, so it’s worth celebrating the best old school anime that have actually stood the test of time.

Before Pokémon entered the scene, it was Gundam that took Japan and the world by storm. Mobile Suit Gundam Wing is the sixth part of Mobile Suit Gundam, which started way back in 1979 and paved the way for realistic giant robot series. Gundam differed from all the other child-friendly mecha series like Voltes V and Voltron with its darker themes of war. Instead of the typical brave pilot, the characters here weren’t always ready to handle a Gundam. The series was a brave depiction of the horrors of war. What’s surprising is that Mobile Suit Gundam wasn’t initially popular. Thanks to Bandai creating plastic models and enticing fans to create their own miniature Gundams, the franchise enjoyed newfound fame. Even now, Gundam still has new installments, with the latest being the well-received Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans series produced by Sunrise.

Directed by the late Ryutaro Nakamura, Serial Experiments Lain became a cult sci-fi classic with its avant-garde style. Its gloomy and slightly unsettling atmosphere piqued the interests of both anime fans and media critics. Instead of going for the usual comedic and magical route, Serial Experiments Lain excelled in portraying psychological horror. Hearing the opening track alone with the visuals evoking loneliness in a digital world was already a surreal experience. Surprisingly, the creation of Serial Experiments wasn’t influenced in any way by Neon Genesis Evangelion—that’s if we believe writer Chiaki Konaka. The 1998 anime series eventually won the Excellence Prize at the Japan Media Arts Festival for its risk-taking and how it dug deeper about the meaning of life.

Like Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Dragon Ball Z is a sequel to an earlier anime. As the successor to Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z continued the action-comedy anime series by adapting the next 325 chapters of Akira Toriyama’s celebrated manga series. Yes, before Naruto arrived, Shonen Jump already had a massive title under its belt. Dragon Ball Z began airing in 1989 and continued its success until 1996. It was such a popular anime that dubbed versions started airing in India, Philippines, Europe, and in the United States. Even non-anime viewers have surely heard of Goku and his iconic power move known as the Kamehameha wave. Of course, this old school anime is still building its legacy with a new installment known as Dragon Ball Super, continuing the stories began by Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z.

While Dragon Ball Z was the shonen series of the 1990s, it was Sailor Moon that captured the hearts of Shojo series. Airing from 1992 until 1997, Sailor Moon was a wondrous adaptation of Naoko Takeuchi’s manga series of the same name. It can even be noted that the magical girl genre got its much-needed boost thanks to Sailor Moon. Aside from Sailor Moon, there were Sailor Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Pluto, and Uranus to choose from. Even today, Sailor Moon cosplays can be found in anime conventions due to the amount of official merchandise. Like Dragon Ball Z, the world also paid attention and dubbed versions were made for Australia, Europe, the United States, and in other regions in Asia. If you want to see more of Sailor Moon, Toei Animation released Sailor Moon Crystal in 2014. Rather than continuing the events in the old school anime series, Sailor Moon Crystal was a reboot that removes any anime-only material from the first anime adaptation and loyally follows what happened in the manga.

If Dragon Ball Z had Goku and his Kamehameha wave, Yu Yu Hakusho had Yusuke Urameshi (known as Eugene in the English version) and his Ray Gun. The action series started out as a mysterious anime with supernatural elements before going for the tournament route like Dragon Ball Z. According to the creator Yoshihiro Togashi, Yu Yu Hakusho or Ghost Fighter was influenced not just by horror flicks but also by Buddhism. No wonder the main protagonist Yusuke had a job as an underworld investigator. Both Japanese and American audiences were enthralled by the martial arts sequences featured in Yu Yu Hakusho. As the manga sold more than 50 million copies, the old school anime captured the Animage Anime Grand Prix twice in 1994 and in 1995.

Before Psycho-Pass entered the scene in 2012 with a grand, dystopian society acting as a perfect world, Mamoru Oshii’s anime film adaptation of Masamune Shirow’s manga was already the sci-fi wonder many have been waiting for. Meticulously animated by Production I.G, the 1995 Ghost in the Shell is a film that would eventually impact other mediums. In particular, The Wachowskis mentioned that the The Matrix trilogy was highly influenced by the anime movie. The anime film asked tough questions pertaining to identity in a technologically advanced society, similar to Serial Experiments Lain. Noted as one of the best anime films of all time, Ghost in the Shell continued on with Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence and the Stand Alone Complex TV series, among others.

Trigun is one of the first well-received Madhouse series in the West. Premiering in April 1998 and ending after 26 episodes, the series adaptation of Yasuhiro Nightow’s manga wasn’t a big hit in its native Japan, but the American and European audience definitely took a liking to this one. As Vash the Stampede travels around to escape bounty hunters looking to capture him, we are presented with serious, moral issues alongside humorous antics. Of course, its success was slightly overshadowed by Cowboy Bebop, but Trigun still stands as one of the finest old school anime ever. Vash is an incredibly appealing character that helps offset the dated visuals of the series. Even though it was a Japanese creation, Trigun was a fine representation of the rowdy Old West.

Also known as Samurai X in other countries, Rurouni Kenshin is perhaps the finest representation of conflict during the Meiji era in Japan. Before identifying himself as Kenshin Himura, the main protagonist was a brutal assassin known as Hitokiri Battosai. A slight mention of the name sent shivers down the spines of swordsmen, and Kenshin Himura was adamant to never kill another human again. When the anime adaptation of Nobuhiro Watsuki’s manga series aired in 1996, it felt like no other show. Dragon Ball Z, Gundam, and Yu Yu Hakusho were similarly popular, but only Rurouni Kenshin delved into sword-fighting and old Japan. At times ruthless and vicious, Rurouni Kenshin never failed to show that what mattered the most was forgiveness and peace. If you have watched this old school anime series, be sure to check out the two brilliant OVAs and the decent live-action movie trilogy.

Cowboy Bebop hasn’t lost its popularity even after premiering nearly two decades ago, and for good reason. Spectacularly animated by Sunrise, the sci-fi series Cowboy Bebop is an essential anime that every fan of the medium needs to watch eventually. Directed by none other than Shinichiro Watanabe, the series followed bounty hunters on their fun and memorable journeys while also pondering on philosophical themes like existentialism. With the soundtrack composed by the legendary Yoko Kanno, the fluid animation felt even more real. Likewise, this is one of the rare anime in which the English dub was arguably better than the Japanese version. If you’ve seen the series, don’t forget to watch the 2001 film Cowboy Bebop: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door.

There is no other anime series that has generated so much love, worship, and controversy as Hideaki Anno’s 1995 masterpiece, Neon Genesis Evangelion. While Mobile Suit Gundam was already paving the way for more serious mecha anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion completely took a different turn and became a deconstruction of the whole genre. It was an apocalyptic series with super robots, but it also had psychological, philosophical, and religious themes. Evangelion is an outstanding cultural icon, one that has created new opportunities for the anime industry. Even if the last two episodes generated controversy with how Anno tried to resolve the series, it was commendable for the risks taken. If you didn’t like how the series ended, the film titled The End of Evangelion will surely satisfy your need for a different presentation of the final act.

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About the Creator

Peter Dill

Ph.D. in Cinema Studies, born in LA moved to New York, will never regret it.

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